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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — letters
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com